Phoenix Coyotes trade negotiating rights of Ilya Bryzgalov

by Sarah McLellan - Jun. 7, 2011 10:55 PMThe Arizona Republic

Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov's performance the past two regular seasons with the Coyotes catapulted him to the top of the 2011 NHL free-agency class. His play also raised his financial expectations, leading to demands far above what the Coyotes were willing to meet.

On Tuesday, the Coyotes moved on, trading the rights of the 30-year-old pending unrestricted free agent to the Philadelphia Flyers.

"I never felt at any time we were remotely close and on the same wavelength," Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney said. "Obviously Ilya was a very good player for us the last few years, and we were prepared to pay him well. But he was looking to be one of the top-paid goaltenders and one of the top-paid players in the league.

"I just felt between the dollars and the term, it just made no sense to us."

The Coyotes will receive Philadelphia's third-round pick in the 2012 NHL draft. They also will get forward Matt Clackson and future considerations, but the Coyotes have no plans to renew Clackson's contract once it expires June30 -- essentially, it was just a procedural contract swap.

Bryzgalov's 3 1/2 seasons in Phoenix enhanced his status as one of the steadier presences in the crease. In 2009-10, he finished with a .920 save percentage, 2.29 goals-against average and 42 regular-season wins and was a Vezina Trophy candidate. This past season, Bryzgalov, a waiver-wire pickup in 2007, set the all-time franchise record for wins (130).

"He's certainly the highest-profile goaltender available come July 1," Maloney said, referring to the start of the NHL free-agency signing period.

One factor that could derail a big payday for Bryzgalov is his playoff performance. He couldn't win a series with Phoenix and was lit up by the Detroit Red Wings, unable to be the Coyotes' best player when they needed him most.

The parties didn't discuss resigning Bryzgalov during the season, but shortly after Detroit swept the Coyotes from the first round of the playoffs conversations started. And then fizzled.

The Flyers own his rights and can exclusively negotiate with him until July 1; if he hasn't signed a contract by then, Bryzgalov continues on as an unrestricted free agent.

Bryzgalov's addition further muddies the goalie situation in Philadelphia. The Flyers relied on Brian Boucher -- another former Coyotes player -- Michael Leighton and Sergei Bobrovsky en route to reaching the second round of the playoffs, but many pinpointed the juggling act in net as a severe obstacle.

Conversely, the loss of Bryzgalov leaves the Coyotes scrambling to add a second goalie. On Monday, Maloney tied up backup Jason LaBarbera with a two-year deal, but LaBarbera still is expected to be in the No. 2 spot. The free-agent pool isn't as glamorous as previous seasons, but does feature veterans such as Thomas Vokoun, Marty Turco (who has played for coach Dave Tippett) and Dwayne Roloson, who helped the Tampa Bay Lightning reach the Eastern Conference finals.

Maloney also will consider trading to fill the void. After studying the field of options for the past 1 1/2 months, when it became apparent Bryzgalov would not be back, Maloney has an interest in a few players.

"I'm very confident we'll find a goaltender to go with Jason LaBarbera that'll get us into certainly the top 10 in the league in goaltending," Maloney said. "If we get that, then we'll be a team that's very formidable."